The full moon, like a lone, massive lantern, shone above the village.
A heavy silence hung over the Hokage Building. In his iconic robes, Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed down at the village with a serious and scowling expression. Konoha, after hearing two distant explosions, had begun to stir.Behind him, Uchiha Itachi knelt respectfully.
A cold wind blew, rustling Itachi's dark hair.
"First… thank you for preventing a civil war. Konoha is in your debt. You've preserved the peace… I'm sorry there was no other way."
Hiruzen began to speak softly.
"My apologies, Hokage-sama."
Without raising his head, Itachi replied in a voice tinged with sorrow.
"No, I am the one who should apologize. You are a hero, but from now on, you will be branded a 'rogue ninja.' Your name will be in the Bingo Book for the slaughter of your own clan, to be captured dead or alive."
Hiruzen looked up at the sky.
"Understood,"
Itachi said calmly.
The Third Hokage cast a sidelong glance at him. "What will you do now?"
"I sought help from a group called the Akatsuki for this task,"
Itachi answered. "I plan to get closer to them. Just… Sandayme-sama… please, watch over Sasuke."
"You have my word,"
Hiruzen said.
"Now, it's best you leave. The commotion is worse than I anticipated. The whole village is awake."
"Thank you."
With that, Itachi vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Hiruzen alone. He remained standing, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, an Anbu appeared beside him and knelt.
"Report, Hokage-sama. The Uchiha clan district has been fully checked. The Uchiha clan has been destroyed."
Hiruzen closed his eyes and sighed. The smell of smoke and blood still hung in the night air, and this victory had become a heavy burden on his shoulders.
"Only Itachi knows about this tragedy. From now on, anyone who speaks of this mission will be considered a traitor."
The Anbu nodded in confirmation.
"Also, two Uchiha were found alive. One is Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother. He is in a coma."
Hiruzen's eyes opened at the mention of Sasuke's name. This had been Itachi's only condition for carrying out the mission: his brother had to live.
"Tell the best doctors in the village to take care of him. He must survive."
The Anbu continued, "The second person is a young ninja who is severely wounded."
"What are your orders for this surviving Uchiha? Should we finish the job?"
Hiruzen paused for a few moments. A living Uchiha could be a threat to the village's future. But now, Konoha had become aware too soon. in the end, he said,
" No, leave him. Transfer him to the hospital. If he dies, it's not the village's fault; and if he survives, it means fate has allowed him to live."
--
Three days later, in the Konoha hospital, the air was heavy with the smell of medicine.
Hiruzen stood beside Sasuke's bed; he was still in a coma.
The doctor calmly said:
"Physically, Sasuke is fine, but his mind is trapped in a very powerful genjutsu. Don't worry, he'll eventually wake up."
Then, he pointed to the other ninja. "After examination, his right eye is completely blind, and his left eye is severely damaged; it's unlikely he'll ever be able to activate his Sharingan again."
At that moment, another Anbu entered the room and gave a report to Hiruzen. "Sir, this ninja's identity has been confirmed. His name is Uchiha Mitsuro. A Special Jonin with no ties to the clan's political factions. His job was to look after the children in the orphanage."
He continued,
"They say Mitsuro cared more about the future generation than power. He never attended clan meetings."
Hiruzen took a deep breath upon hearing this. It became clear to him that Mitsuru, despite his Sharingan, was not a threat to Konoha's future.
"Order the doctors to give him the best care. Report to me immediately when he wakes up."
Hiruzen cast a careful glance at both ninjas: one a victim, the other a witness. This tragedy had forged a new history for Konoha.